Pride Precedes a Fall
by Dorinka
Summary: Young aristocratic lady comes to Hogwarts and expects to be treated like a princesss. But this is not exactly what life has in store for her... and what does Sirius Black do with that?
1. Parting

Chapter 1. Parting

"But mamaa, why couldn't we travel by our limousine to the stupid castle?" I protested for a thousandth time, but alas! still in vain.

"How many times do I have to repeat it to you, Anarietta Anastacia Antoinetta de Aignous," my mother called me by my full given name, thought she knows how much I despise it.

I held my tongue then, but I kept mumbling to myself. I really couldn't understand why I, as the countess de Aignous, am forced to travel by train with the rest of base-born students, but my mother Marie-Hortensie insisted.

I was looking around the platform and I didn't see anybody who would pick my interest. Everyone wore absolutely hideous black robes. Me and my mother, on the other hand, captivated lot of people due to our beautiful expensive brocade dresses with train.

I wrinkled my nose.

"People here don't even know how to dress properly; nobody here has any taste. Britain is truly horrible country," I snorted and fanned myself with my pearl-decorated, lily-adorned fan.

"I am not going to please you, dear daughter. You will have to wear it as well," mother said.

"What?" I yelped in terror. My mother calmly answered:

"Didn't you notice that Henry brought one more suitcase with him? Your school robes and other school things are in there."

I glanced at our servant Henry. And indeed – beside my three suitcases which I had packed PERSONALLY (I wouldn't trust any silly maid with that, in certain matters you just can't rely on your servants), there was a extra one and on the top of it-

"Wow, mamaa, have you diminished my Alfons Emilian so he would fit into the owl-cage?"

My mother smiled upon my delight when seeing my beloved stallion.

"Yes, so he would be able to go by train with you. Of course you can enlarge him again when you reach Hogwarts – it's just a trivial spell. Engorgio."

"_Engorgio?_" I repeated. I didn't realise I was holding my wand and my mother grew to the size of an average telegraph column.

Fortunately enough, I didn't perform the proper wrist movements so it lasted only for a second and then my mother came back to her normal self.

At the very next instant the train arrived and Henry with Jean and Pierre (these are our servant too) loaded my suitcases inside. Then I kissed the air around my mother's brilliant earrings and said:

"Ou revoir, mamaa!"

"Farewell, my dear Anarietta." My mother parted with me and I, holding my brocate skirt, stepped in that antique relique, that probably remembers even the times of my great-grandfather Louis Luc Didiere de Aignous.


	2. Sirius

Chapter 2. Sirius

_A/N: Sorry if this chapter is little bit boring for you, don't give up, I promise that there will be more fun and action in the following ones. _

I was wandering around the train aisle, looking for a convenient compartment, which would be either vacant or occupied by someone who would look at least a little bit noble and not like that scum I had seen on the platform.

Finally I found one that was empty except for the boy, who wasn't wearing that horrible black garbage-bag. He had becoming clothes, which appeared to look rather expensive – black trousers and grey sweater.

I sat down opposite of him and he opened his eyes (they had been closed before and he appeared to be asleep).

He checked me out from head to toe with a surprised expression. Well, not only surprised, but also admiring, as he saw my gilded stilettos that perfectly matched my brocade dress with a train. Then his eyes reached my face.

I have a beautiful face. I almost said "like my mother does", but even though my mother is despite her advanced age still beautiful, I am beautiful in completely different way.

I have deep-red hair and big violet eyes with thick black eyelashes.

The boy, who had longish black hair, smiled at me and said:

"Hello."

"Hello," I answered, because although I wasn't sure whether that young man was noble enough, I felt a rush of affection towards him.

"You've got a nice, uhm, horse," he said appraisingly.

"Thanks," I said and Alfons Emilian sensed – as horses are able to – that he was the object of our conservation and neighed boisterously.

Then there was a moment of silence, which I decided to break.

"You've got a nice sweater."

"Thanks, that's Hugo Boss. Do you know him?"

"Of course," I replied, "my deceased father Francois Victor Honore de Aignous wore his clothes only. And so did my great-grandfather Louis Luc Didiere de Aignous, as far as I can remember."

My companion fell in the silence for a while. Then he said:

"You are from France, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" I retorted, rather startled.

"Intuition," he said nonchalantly and then added: "We don't know each other yet, do we? I am Sirius Black, and you?"

"My name is Anarietta Anastacia Antoinetta de Aignous."

I let him kiss my hand (and it wasn't just any sloppy kiss from some ordinary plebeian who would have left an unaesthetic imprint of his teeth on my delicate wrist; he simply kissed the air above my hand).

It pleased me that the very first person I had met had such refined manners. I was about to ask Sirius whether he was also of noble kin when the doors of our compartment burst open and three strange individuals invaded our privacy.

They immediately threw themselves at the seats without even the slightest recognition of my presence; two of them next to Sirius and the last one who was approximately as fat as the other two fell next to me.

"Oi, Siri, ya've never said you got y'self a new chick! She's quite a looker!" shrieked the boy with incredibly messy hair.

Sirius didn't answer to that, nor did he say that we had just met on the train.

"Or have you just met on the train?" asked the other of the two sitting opposite me, the boy with fair hair, weary face and plebeiany ragged clothes.

Sirius didn't answer that time either, so the messy-haired one plied:

"Hey buddy, if ya ain't goin' out with her just say so, 'cause I like her pretty much, she's some nice birdie."

Now I was insulted to the very marrow of my blue bones. Of course I realised all those stupid colloquial expressions were meant as compliments, but I still can't stand being compared to something as low as fowl. Chicken…what will come next, a goose? Or a turkey-hen? Oh, someone could even accuse me of having bird flu and burn me to death… what a nice outlook, really.

While I was lost in my gloomy thoughts, the messy-haired plebeian chatted with the one in the ragged clothes, which showed just as ragged underwear, which showed… well, I don't think you really want to know. They didn't pay me any attention at all.

Sirius was silent and the little fat plebeian beside me fell asleep and started to snore loudly. That was the last straw. Sick of this company I rose from my seat and went searching for another compartment.


End file.
